I push limits with my photography, so I do need excellent gear.
Fortunately as of 2013-2014, two excellent cameras that surpass
previous pro series cameras were introduced. This puts pro
level gear within budgetary reach of many more people.
I am a Canon user so I will be recommending gear that works with Canon cameras.
Note that some gear works with other manufacturers, such as
tripods, tripod heads, night photography tracking mounts,
and 3rd party lenses, like the amazing Sigma 35 mm f/1.4 DG Art lens.
In other cases, other manufacturers have equivalent lenses, like 300 mm f/2.8,
or 300 mm f/4 lenses also with great performance.

If you find the information on this site useful and wish to purchase the equipment
that I use to make images, please use
the links to B&H Photo to make the purchases. By using the link, you will help support
clarkvision.com at no additional cost to you. I have used B&H Photo for decades and
have always had a great experience and their prices are very good.
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Camera Bodies

Advanced amateur and pro photographers usually want two cameras, so one
can be a backup on an important photo trip. Currently my two cameras
I use are a Canon 6D, full frame 20 megapixels, and a Canon 7D Mark II
APS C crop camera.

The Canon 300 mm f/2.8 L IS version II is amazing on wildlife action,
birds in flight, and astrophotography lens. It has faster autofocus than
the larger telephotos and with the 7D Mark II, the reach is better than
could be done with 1D series pro cameras and 500+ mm lenses of just
a few years ago, and with better autofocus capability. This lens is my
preferred lens for wildlife action, birds in flight, and deep sky astrophotography.
The 300 f/2.8 plus 2x teleconverter and the 7D Mark II gives an angular
pixel size of just 1.4 arc-seconds (the size of a 1 mm spot at 206 meters distance;
that is 1/25 of an inch at distance of over 2 football fields).
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens at B&H Photo

24 mm f/1.4: all lenses I have tested in this category have some aberrations toward the
edges and corners. The Sigma Art lens is pretty good and I use it for low light work when
I need a little wider field of view. It is great for meteors and aurora too.
Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Canon EF DSLR Cameras

When I want a telephoto and still travel light, I use a 300 f/4 L IS lens. The
300 f/4 L IS telephoto is an excellent starter lens for beginning as well as advanced wildlife photography.
Combined with the 7D Mark II gives one a powerful combination enabling
pro level wildlife, and action images to be made in many situations.
Canon EF 300mm f/4L IS USM Lens at B&H Photo

I also have a Canon 500 mm f/4 L IS, and recommend the version II. The 500 mm with
a 2x TC and the 7D Mark II would give an angular pixel size of an amazing
0.84 arc-seconds per pixel. However, at angular pixel sizes nearing 1 arc-second,
the atmosphere is rarely stable enough to take advantage of such
extreme magnifications, whether wildlife action at a distance, or astrophotography.
For this reason I prefer the faster and lighter 300 f/2.8 (faster f/ratio and faster autofocus) most of the time.
If you want a 500 f/4 telephoto, order it here: Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM Lens at B&H Photo

Astrotrac (best to do a google search to find retailers and availability).

Gitzo Carbon Fiber (CF) Tripods. My Gitzo CF tripods have served me for
for well over a decade with no issues. I use my gear in extreme environments,
from rain, wind, snow, salt water, deserts, to the dusty Serengeti.
Here are the current equivalent Gitzo CF tripods to my now out-of-production
G1228 and G1325 tripods. If you can find good quality used G1228 and G1325 tripods,
they should serve you well for many years. For similar performing new tripods,
see these models:

An alternative to the full Wimberley gimbal mount for lighter telephoto lenses is the Wimberley sidekick,
which fits nicely in a ball head to give gimbal-type performance. I use the sidekick with 300 f/2.8 lenses
and smaller. I would not recommend it for larger lenses.
Arca Sidekick Ball to Gimbal Head Adapter

To carry all my gear, I use a lightweight photo backpack. Personally, I want the lightest backpack
that protects my gear and will easily carry all of it, up to 500 mm f/4. It also must be
carry-on legal on airlines. I would also like a computer slot for carrying a small
laptop. My ideal photo backpack does not exist. An important consideration
in my opinion in a backpack is can the big telephoto with camera on, extender on
and the lens hood on (so the camera is ready to shoot) fit in the backpack without disassembling
the rig? Here is my current compromise. The Gura Gear Bataflae 32L will hold my
300 f/2.8 lens with the hood on, a 2x TC, and the 7D Mark II. When on a photo trip,
like an African safari, or simpler trips to a National Park, one needs the gear
ready to go but still protected. This works well for me:

My take in searching for the ideal photo backpack:
I really like the design of the f-stop, but the inside width is too small for my gear.
I like the low weight of the thinktank, but the internal width is too small.
I like the internal room of the lowepro, but not the weight.
The Gura Gear 32L is ideal for internal space and low weight but does not
have a slot for a laptop. If the laptop were put in a protective sleeve,
it could be put in the main compartment of the Gura Gear 32L
My Lowepro computrekker plus AW was my previous bag and was great except
a little heavy (the zippers wore out after years of use traveling the world).

With the Gura Gear 32L, I use an separate simple padded laptop bag for my laptop.

When one has expensive photo gear, it is best to store it in a good safe. I do.